CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Coe College baseball team ended its non-conference schedule for 2026 with a bang on Wednesday afternoon at Bill Quinby Field, defeating Cornell College 19-7 in seven innings. The Kohawks were greeted with a five-run top of the first as the Rams raced out to an early lead with four hits. Coe responded in the bottom of the inning with two runs on an RBI single from
Louis Smelcer, setting the table for the ultimate comeback. The Kohawks scored two more in the second but gave both back to the Rams in the top of the third. Coe took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning, scoring seven times as the offense racked up four hits, two walks, and a hit batter to take an 11-7 lead. The Kohawks proceeded to add three in the fourth, four in the fifth, and one in the sixth, piling on the visitors as the offense tallied 16 total hits.
Jon Wille led the offensive explosion with three hits and six RBI while
Jake Mitchell, Eli Elsbecker, and Smelcer had multi-RBI performances.
Evan Bender earned the win out of the pen, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings as the Kohawks charged back.
COE 19 - CORNELL 7 - 7 INNINGS
- Cornell got started early, threatening to win its fourth straight game of the series with five runs on four hits and a defensive miscue from the Kohawks. Coe responded with two in the bottom of the inning, as Smelcer delivered a bases-loaded single with two outs to plate Mitchell and Eli Elsbecker. Coe's offense picked up two more in the second as Ryan Brosius scored on a wild pitch before a sacrifice fly from Wille made it 5-4. The Rams got both runs back and restored a multi-run lead, getting back-to-back bases-loaded walks before two clutch strikeouts from Bender. Coe's offense picked up the pitching staff in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with walks for Smelcer and Brosius and a single from Will Hosch. Mitchell brought Coe to within one again with a two-run double before Wille later cleared the bases with a three-run triple for 9-7. Elsbecker and Brent Yonkovic then picked up RBI in back-to-back at-bats to give the Kohawks an 11-7 lead. Wille recorded another RBI in the fourth while Ryan Thoreson made it 13-7 as he scored on a passed ball. Elsbecker made it 14-7 before the end of the inning, reaching on an error to push Wille across. Coe got RBI in four-straight at-bats in the fifth as Hosch, Mitchell, Thoreson and Wille pushed Coe past the 10-run advantage. Smelcer scored the final run of the game on a double steal with Brosius, scampering home for 19-7. Brady Langan entered for the final three outs of the seventh, running into trouble with the bases loaded before inducing a 1-2-3 doubleplay groundout for the win.
#KohawkNation #TalonsOut
Visit https://kohawkathletics.com/ for complete coverage of Coe College Athletics
Like Coe College Athletics on Facebook
Follow @CoeAthletics on X
Follow @CoeAthletics on Instagram
Coe Athletics Mobile App - Android | iPhone
